Figure skating at the 2026 Winter Olympics – Qualification

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The following is about the qualification rules and allocation of spots for the figure skating events at the 2026 Winter Olympics. [1]

Contents

Qualification system

A total of 142 quota spots are available to athletes to compete at the games. A maximum of 18 athletes can be entered by a National Olympic Committee, with a maximum of 9 men or 9 women. There is also an "Additional Athletes Quota" which allows up to a maximum of 5 more total skaters, bringing the potential total to 147. The host (Italy) is the priority for these additional places so that if they have met minimum standards they may have an entry in each event, other than the team event. If unused, these five quotas can be used to qualify nations for the team event if they only need an entry in one more discipline. [1]

Skater qualification

There is no individual athlete qualification to the Olympics; the choice of which athlete(s) to send to the Games is at the discretion of each country's National Olympic Committee. Each country is allowed a maximum of three entries per discipline, resulting in a maximum of 18 athletes (nine men and nine women) possible per country.

According to ISU rules, countries must select their entries from among skaters who have achieved a minimum combined total technical elements score (TES) at an ISU-recognized international competition on or before 26 January 2026. [1]

Country qualification

The number of entries for the figure skating events at the Olympic Games is limited by a quota set by the International Olympic Committee. A total of 142 quota spots are available to athletes to compete at the games. There will be 29 skaters each in the disciplines of men's and women's singles, 19 pair skating teams, and 23 ice dance teams. Additionally, ten nations qualify for the team event.

Countries will be able to qualify entries to the 2026 Winter Olympics in two ways. Most spots are allocated based on the results of the 2025 World Championships. At the event, countries will be able to qualify up to three entries in each discipline according to the following system which differs slightly from the qualification to the 2026 World Championships. According to ISU rule 400, nations cannot directly qualify more quotas than are entered, and only entries that perform in the free skate are considered. [2] Every discipline qualifies independently.

At the World Championships, the system is as follows:

Number of skaters/teams
in free skate at Worlds
To earn 3 entries
directly to the Olympics
To earn 2 entries
directly to the Olympics
To earn 1 extra entry
to September qualifying competition
To earn 1 entry
directly to the Olympics
1Dark Red x.svgDark Red x.svgFinish in top ten [a] Be ranked high enough among single
entries within qualifying limits of competition
2Dark Red x.svgTotal placements is equal to or less than 28Total placements is equal to or less than 13
3Top two placements is equal to or less than 13Top two placements is equal to or less than 28Dark Red x.svg
  1. NOC could also have a second skater not in the free skate where the placement total does not exceed 28.

Qualification spots available per tournament

The results of the 2025 World Championships will determine 83 total spots: 24 entries in each singles discipline, 16 in pairs, and 19 in ice dance. The available spots will be award going down the results list, with multiple spots being awarded first.

The remainder of the spots will be filled at an ISU Qualifying Competition in Beijing, China in late September 2025. Countries that had already earned an entry to the Olympics will not be allowed to qualify additional entries at this final qualifying competition. However, if a country earned two or three spots at the World Championships, but did not have two or three skaters, respectively, qualify for the free skate, then they were allowed to send a skater who did not reach the free segment at World Championships to the competition to qualify the remaining spot(s). Unlike at the World Championships, where countries could qualify more than one spot depending on the placement of their skater(s), at the Qualifying Competition, countries could earn only one spot per discipline, regardless of ranking. The ISU has decided that 6 politically evaluated and screened skaters from Russia and 6 from Belarus can qualify as Individual Neutral Athletes (AIN), and only from the final qualifying competition. Accordingly they will only be able to qualify one quota per discipline and will not be eligible for the team trophy. [3]

If a country declines to use one or more of its qualified spots, the vacated spot is awarded using the results of the ISU competition in descending order of placement.

For the team trophy, scores from the 2025 World Figure Skating Championships and the 2025–26 Grand Prix season, will be tabulated to establish the ten top nations. Each nation compiles a score from their top performers in each of the four disciplines. The Grand Prix Final, taking place in early December 2025, will be the final event to affect the Team Trophy score.

Qualification timeline

EventDateVenue
2025 World Figure Skating Championships 26–30 March 2025 Boston, Massachusetts, United States
ISU Qualifying Competition 17–21 September 2025 Beijing, China

Qualified countries

NationsMen's singlesWomen's singlesPairsIce danceAdditionalTeam eventAthlete(s)
Flag of Australia.svg  Australia 12
Flag of Austria.svg  Austria 11
Flag of Azerbaijan.svg  Azerbaijan 11
Flag of Belgium (civil).svg  Belgium 11
Flag of Bulgaria.svg  Bulgaria 11
Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg  Canada 112312
Flag of the People's Republic of China.svg  China 11
Flag of the Czech Republic.svg  Czech Republic 24
Flag of Estonia.svg  Estonia 112
Flag of Finland.svg  Finland 125
Flag of France.svg  France 2127
Flag of Georgia.svg  Georgia 1115
Flag of Germany.svg  Germany 216
Flag of the United Kingdom.svg  Great Britain 1127
Flag of Hungary.svg  Hungary 12
Flag of Israel.svg  Israel 11
Flag of Italy.svg  Italy 21219
Flag of Japan.svg  Japan 3318
Flag of Kazakhstan (3-2).svg  Kazakhstan 112
Flag of Latvia (3-2).svg  Latvia 22
Flag of Lithuania.svg  Lithuania 11
Flag of the Netherlands.svg  Netherlands 12
Flag of Poland.svg  Poland 1114
Flag of Romania.svg  Romania 11
Flag of Slovakia.svg  Slovakia 11
Flag of South Korea.svg  South Korea 1215
Flag of Spain.svg  Spain 113
Flag of Sweden.svg  Sweden 11
Flag of Switzerland.svg  Switzerland 123
Flag of the United States.svg  United States 332316
Flag of Uzbekistan (3-2).svg  Uzbekistan 12
Total: 30 NOCs2424161900118

Source: [4]

Qualification summary

Men's singles

EventLocationAthletes
per NOC
QualifiedTotal
2025 World Championships Flag of the United States.svg Boston 3Flag of the United States.svg  United States
Flag of Japan.svg  Japan
24 [4]
2Flag of France.svg  France [a]
Flag of Italy.svg  Italy
Flag of Latvia (3-2).svg  Latvia
1Flag of Kazakhstan (3-2).svg  Kazakhstan [a]
Flag of South Korea.svg  South Korea [a]
Flag of Georgia.svg  Georgia
Flag of Switzerland.svg  Switzerland
Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg  Canada
Flag of Azerbaijan.svg  Azerbaijan
Flag of Slovakia.svg  Slovakia
Flag of Sweden.svg  Sweden
Flag of the People's Republic of China.svg  China
Flag of Estonia.svg  Estonia
Flag of Spain.svg  Spain
Flag of Poland.svg  Poland
ISU Qualifying Competition Flag of the People's Republic of China.svg Beijing 15
Total29
  1. 1 2 3 Can also enter a skater in the ISU Qualifying Competition

Women's singles

EventLocationAthletes
per NOC
QualifiedTotal
2025 World Championships Flag of the United States.svg Boston 3Flag of the United States.svg  United States
Flag of Japan.svg  Japan
24 [4]
2Flag of South Korea.svg  South Korea
Flag of Switzerland.svg  Switzerland
1Flag of Belgium (civil).svg  Belgium [a]
Flag of Estonia.svg  Estonia [a]
Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg  Canada
Flag of Italy.svg  Italy
Flag of Kazakhstan (3-2).svg  Kazakhstan
Flag of France.svg  France
Flag of Israel.svg  Israel
Flag of Austria.svg  Austria
Flag of Finland.svg  Finland
Flag of Romania.svg  Romania
Flag of Poland.svg  Poland
Flag of Bulgaria.svg  Bulgaria
Flag of the United Kingdom.svg  Great Britain
Flag of Lithuania.svg  Lithuania
ISU Qualifying Competition Flag of the People's Republic of China.svg Beijing 15
Total29
  1. 1 2 Can also enter a skater in the ISU Qualifying Competition

Pairs

EventLocationPairs
per NOC
QualifiedTotal
2025 World Championships Flag of the United States.svg Boston 316 [4]
2Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg  Canada
Flag of Italy.svg  Italy
Flag of Germany.svg  Germany
Flag of the United States.svg  United States [a]
1Flag of Japan.svg  Japan [a]
Flag of Georgia.svg  Georgia
Flag of Australia.svg  Australia
Flag of Hungary.svg  Hungary
Flag of Uzbekistan (3-2).svg  Uzbekistan
Flag of the United Kingdom.svg  Great Britain
Flag of Poland.svg  Poland
Flag of the Netherlands.svg  Netherlands
ISU Qualifying Competition Flag of the People's Republic of China.svg Beijing 13
Total19
  1. 1 2 Can also enter a pairs team in the ISU Qualifying Competition

Ice dance

EventLocationPairs
per NOC
QualifiedTotal
2025 World Championships Flag of the United States.svg Boston 3Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg  Canada
Flag of the United States.svg  United States
19 [4]
2Flag of the Czech Republic.svg  Czech Republic
Flag of Finland.svg  Finland
Flag of France.svg  France
Flag of the United Kingdom.svg  Great Britain
1Flag of Italy.svg  Italy [a]
Flag of Spain.svg  Spain [a]
Flag of Georgia.svg  Georgia [a]
Flag of Germany.svg  Germany
Flag of South Korea.svg  South Korea
ISU Qualifying Competition Flag of the People's Republic of China.svg Beijing 14
Total23
  1. 1 2 3 Can also enter a pair in the ISU Qualifying Competition

Team event

The top ten eligible National Olympic Committees (NOCs) qualify for the Olympic games. NOCs are ranked according to their results in two seasons. For 2024-25 the results from the 2025 World Figure Skating Championships are given a score. If needed the continental competitions (2025 Four Continents Figure Skating Championships, 2025 European Figure Skating Championships) or the 2025 World Junior Figure Skating Championships scores can be used. For the 2025-26 season the 2025–26 Grand Prix is used, or if needed scores from the junior grand prix can be used. [1]

To be eligible for the team event a NOC must have already qualified in at least three out of four disciplines competed at the Olympics. A check mark indicates the NOC has a qualified entry in that discipline. [4] Point totals are taken from 'Annex A' in the qualification rules. [1] NOCs can still qualify entries at the "ISU Qualifying Competition," so more may become eligible. NOCs ranked in the top ten, and only having three disciplines qualified, are eligible for an additional quota. There are a total of five additional quotas and they are given out in order of the NOCs total score.

Totals are as of the end of the 2024-25 season, only nine NOCs became eligible during the first season.

RankTeamMen'sWomen'sPairsIce danceTotal
1Flag of the United States.svg  United States Check-green.svg 1200Check-green.svg 1200Check-green.svg 709Check-green.svg 12004309
2Flag of Japan.svg  Japan Check-green.svg 972Check-green.svg 1080Check-green.svg 12004023654
3Flag of Italy.svg  Italy Check-green.svg 465Check-green.svg 339Check-green.svg 972Check-green.svg 8752651
4Flag of Georgia.svg  Georgia Check-green.svg 517756Check-green.svg 875Check-green.svg 4652613
5Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg  Canada Check-green.svg 305Check-green.svg 418Check-green.svg 787Check-green.svg 10802590
6Flag of France.svg  France Check-green.svg 875Check-green.svg 275362Check-green.svg 5742086
7Flag of the United Kingdom.svg  Great Britain 113Check-green.svg 131Check-green.svg 377Check-green.svg 9721593
8Flag of South Korea.svg  South Korea Check-green.svg 638Check-green.svg 5170Check-green.svg 2001355
9Flag of Poland.svg  Poland Check-green.svg 118Check-green.svg 162Check-green.svg 3050585

Next eligible NOC per event

If a country rejects a quota spot then additional quotas become available. A country can be eligible for one quota spot per event in the reallocation process. Countries in bold indicate the country later received a quota spot. The following list is compiled after the remaining spots were allocated at the ISU Qualifying Competition.

Men's singlesWomen's singlesPairsIce danceTeam event

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 "QUALIFICATION SYSTEM - XXV OLYMPIC WINTER GAMES - MILANO CORTINA 2026" (PDF). International Skating Union. January 29, 2025.
  2. 1 2 "International Skating Union: Special Regulations & Technical Rules – Single & Pair Skating and Ice Dance 2024" (PDF). International Skating Union. November 2024.
  3. "ISU decision concerning the participation of limited number of Individual Neutral Athletes (AIN) at Olympic Qualification Events under strict conditions". 20 December 2024. Retrieved 7 March 2025.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Jae-youl Kim; Colin Smith (4 April 2025). "Communication No. 2696 - ENTRIES/PARTICIPATION 2026 OLYMPIC WINTER GAMES (OWG) SINGLE & PAIR SKATING AND ICE DANCE" (pdf). International Skating Union . Retrieved 4 April 2025.